Little Henriette
by Phantom Actress
Summary: During the war, Lafayette receives some terrible news from his wife. His poor little Henriette. One shot.


**Some more angst from me! So I was listening to "It's Quiet Uptown" on loop all day, so yeah. I'm sorry for cauing any possible tears. **

**I don't own Hamilton. **

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Little Henriette

Even in the mist of a war, Lafayette was able to think about his dear wife and daughter. They were always present in his mind. Henriette, his daughter, would be about two by now. And what about Adrienne? How was his dear wife keeping up with everything. Lafayette yearned to be able to see them both again. But their letters to each other would have to do for now.

_ Mon Cher Adrienne,_

_ I hope you are well, Mon Amour. I hope that by the time I return I'll have another little one to hold in my arms. _

_I shall find my poor little Henriette very amusing on my return. I hope she will deliver a long sermon of reproof, and that she will speak to me with all the frankness of friendship; for my daughter will be always, I trust, my most intimate friend; I will only be a father in affection, and paternal love shall unite in my heart with friendship. Embrace her, my love,—may I say embrace them?—for me!_

_ Votre mari aimant, _

_ Glibert _

He sent the letter out and waited for a response. When he wasn't fighting he was thinking about Adrienne. Lafayette thought about what Henriette would say to him when he came home. He wanted to know if he had another son or daughter yet.

But the letter, Lafayette received was much different than the one he'd sent. When John gave it to him, his friend had a strange look in his eyes. Lafayette took the envelope from him, confused. What was going on? Why did everyone seem to know, but not he?

"It's from Adrienne," John informed him.

"Is she alright?" Lafayette had the courage to ask.

"I don't know. Just Washington seemed… well, concerned after reviewing it."

Their mail was getting reviewed by the general and Alexander to make sure no one was giving anything away to the British. Washington trusted Lafayette, but you never knew.

"Thank you, mon ami." Lafayette closed the door to his tent.

He ripped the paper open. In a desperate haste, Lafayette grabbed the letter out of it's package. Nothing seemed wrong with it at first. Until Lafayette started reading.

_My dearest, Gilbert, _

_ There is so much news, dear. Too much. One is overwhelmingly joyful, but the other… The other bit of news is not as happy. First I will tell you of the bliss that has entered our lives._

_ Another daughter has been born. I named her Anastasie, just as you'd hoped. She is a pretty child with dark curls and eyes that I know will take after you. I love her with all my heart, mon amour. You will, too, once you met her. _

_ But tragedy has stricken. Our darling Henriette had passed on. She died, Gilbert! The Petit bébé that we promised to protect forever. I feel like I failed her. the doctor told me there was nothing we could do. If only you could of said, 'Adieu' to her. _

_ Au Revoir Mon mari chéri,_

_ Adrienne _

Lafayette didn't feel how he thought he would. Instead of falling to his knees and sobbing. The Frenchman only felt empty. Numb even. The sounds of his friends calling were heard, but Lafayette could only sit there. The words "_Our darling Henriette_ _had passed on. She died, Gilbert!_" ran through his mind over and over. Lafayette failed her. Failed Adrienne. Failed Henriette. Failed Anastasie.

"Laf, what's taking so long?" Alexander called through the sheets of his tent, "Laf? You can come out now."

After waiting for a few seconds, Alexander announced that he was coming in. Lafayette didn't look up when he entered. The letter was feeling heavier and heavier in his hands. Like it was sinking him. The world was becoming meaningless. Life didn't make sense anymore.

"Woah! You okay?" Alexander asked, kneeling down to his friend.

"Read this." Lafayette handed him the letter.

Lafayette watched his reactions. First, Alexander was beaming, he paused for a second to congratulate his friend. But as he continued to read, Alexander's expression changed. From a grinning face to sorrow. Alexander let the letter down.

"I'm so sorry," Alexander whispered, "Do you want me to tell the others?"

"Washington knows already. Laurens thinks there's something going on. Hercules doesn't," replied Lafayette.

"Anything you need? I could convince the general to let you return to France."

"It's alright, lion ceau. I'll manage."

Nobody spoke to him after that. When solders saw him coming, they would stop their conversation to stare at him as he passed, before continuing. Lafayette knew how they talked behind his back. Word had spread fast through the camp. The general looked at him with sympathy. Lafayette hated it all. No one could leave him alone. Not a soul looked at him like a normal person. He was being ignored by everyone. Even his friends avoided him like he was diseased.

Eventually Lafayette wrote back to his wife. Words didn't seem to be working anymore. It was almost midnight when he wrote the letter. But that didn't matter. Nothing seemed to matter anymore.

_Chéri Adrienne, _

_How horrible is our separation!__I never before felt the cruelty of separation so deeply. My heart suffers doubly, from my own sorrow and from my inability to share yours. The time it took before I learned of it has also increased my misery… . The loss of our poor child is almost always on my mind. The distance from Europe to America seems to me more immense than ever. The loss of our poor child is in my mind at almost every moment. _

_Jusqu'à ce qu'on se voit une fois de plus, _

_ Gilbert_

Later that night, Lafayette started to think. What if he devoted the rest of his life to doing only good? Maybe he would wake up and this would all just be a nightmare. That his two little girls would be waiting back in France for him. Adrienne would put baby Anastasie into his arms for the first time. The world would be full of bliss. Henriette would inform him of how good of a sister she was. Lafayette would laugh and kiss her cheek.

But when he woke, nothing had changed.

Instead he started to think. Was it worth going through the rest of his life without Henriette? Knowing that he had failed her? Lafayette was left in a fog of intense sadness. One that he never thought possible to escape. Memories of his daughter haunted him every night.

_Spring was coming. Lafayette could tell. Adrienne and himself were celebrating over dancing. Even though he couldn't dance to save his life. Adrienne was teasing him. So he dared her to show him what a good dancer she was. After a few spins and leaps, she bowed before almost slipping. _

_ "Graceful, huh?" Lafayette said, catching his wife before she could fall. _

_ "Says the discombobulated deer," she teased in reply, "I'm not feeling so well, Gilbert." _

_ Immediately, Lafayette went into emergency mode. He put Adrienne onto the bed. While asking a servant to fetch the doctor. When he arrived, Lafayette was ordered to stay outside the room. So the Frenchman paced. He became acquainted with the paintings in the hall. They were all very nice pictures. Lafayette hadn't noticed them much before. There was one of his late parents. Another of some ship. That was of- _

_ "Monsieur Lafayette you may come back in," the doctor told him. _

_ He nodded and ran into the room. Adrienne looked in a state of shock, but she couldn't hide the joy that filled her eyes. The woman jumped up and held her husband close to her. _

_ "Nous allons être parents, Gilbert!" Adrienne exclaimed. _

_ Lafayette grinned then started to laugh. Parents! He and Adrienne were going to be parents! Lafayette didn't think his marriage could be happier, but now there would be a baby involved. A little child to call their own. _

_ Little Henriette. _

The memory returned to him often. Of how happy he used to be. If only Lafayette could be there. At least be back home for Adrienne. But that couldn't happen. At least not yet.

That dream turned into another within time.

_"Gilbert! Gilbert!" Adrienne was calling out to him. She sounded panicked. _

_ Lafayette was in their room in a second. "What is it, Mon cher?" _

_ "My water broke! I-I think it's coming!" _

_ Everything after that was blurry. Somehow the midwife arrived. Lafayette was sent out the room to study the art out there again. The painting of his parents stuck out to him. Was this how his father felt when his mother was giving birth to him? Perhaps. Or maybe his father was out, not knowing that when he came home he would have a son. _

_ When the midwife came out, Lafayette never felt so relieved. Throughout the delivery, he had heard screams coming from Adrienne. At times, he even started to think the worst. But the midwife was smiling, so Lafayette assumed that it was a good thing. _

_ In the room was Adrienne holding a bundle. Lafayette closed the door behind him as he neared the bed. Adrienne looked exhausted, but she was beaming with pride. _

_ "C'est une fille," Adrienne said in a low voice. _

_ "Henriette?" It was the name they had decided on if the child was a girl. _

_ "Baby Etty." The nickname that Adrienne would always use for her. _

_ Little Henriette. _

Lafayette didn't tell anyone about that time. It was a memory special to only him and his wife. He spoke often of Henriette with his friends. The girl was the reason for his being. Lafayette promised her that he would always be there and protect her. He failed.

_Henriette looked up at him with large, pleading eyes. She tugged on his coat, a failed attempt to get him to stay home. Not to leave her. Back when Henriette was well. _

_ "No go! Papa no!" she pleaded with him. _

_ Lafayette bent down to kiss her forehead. "It's okay, ma belle fille. I'll be home soon. I love you." _

_ Large tears started dripping down her face. Lafayette wiped away water from her chubby cheeks. Adrienne was trying the be strong for their daughter. Yet, her pain showed on her face. Lafayette cupped her face in his hands. _

_ "I'll be okay. I promise, mon amour," he promised her, "The revolution needs me." _

_ "We'll miss you. Especially Baby Etty," Adrienne replied, before one last embrace. _

_ Lafayette kissed the top of Henriette's head. _

_ Little Henriette. _

A few weeks later, Lafayette was ordered to go back to France. For more guns and ships. While he was there, he went to Adrienne. His wife greeted him with a strong embrace.

"I missed you," said Adrienne, "Henriette did too." Her voice broke. "And Anastasie."

"Why did I leave you? Leave you to mourn Henriette all alone. But I am here now, mon amour. I'll never leave her again," he promised.

Adrienne just sobbed into his shirt. Lafayette held her close, letting himself cry too. The couple stood there. In the cold. With no blanket or quilt to protect them from the weather. Just each other.

The couple went inside together, hand in hand.

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**Translations **

**Mon Cher: My dear**

**Mon Amour: My love**

**Votre mari aimant: Your loving husband **

**mon ami: My friend **

**Au Revoir Mon mari chéri: Goodbye, my dear husband **

**lion ceau: Little lion **

**Chéri: Beloved **

**Jusqu'à ce qu'on se voit une fois de plus: Until we see each other again **

**Nous allons être parents: We're going to be parents**

**C'est une fille: It's a girl **

**ma belle fille: My beautiful daughter**

**Sorry if I forgot any translations. And I was using Google Translate for this, so sorry to any French speakers if this isn't right. I did my best. Lafayette did have a daughter named Henriette and she did die during the American Revolution. I believe it was at the end of teh war, but I took artisic liberty and so in this story she died in the middle of it. A few of the letters above were real letters between Lafayette adn Adrienne. But I don't know for sure becasue I got that information from Tumblr. **

**Thanks for reading! Please review! Do it for Henriette!**


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